The Fountain of the Innocents on display at Carnavalet, and soon at the Louvre?

11/6/24 - Exposition - Paris, Musée Carnavalet - The Musée Carnavalet’s excellent exhibition of the Fontaine des Innocents, accompanied by an equally good catalogue, should not obscure the two most important questions about this outstanding monument: will Jean Goujon’s reliefs finally be long-term loaned, and will they join those already on display in the Louvre since the 19th century (ill. 1)?

1. Jean Goujon Jean Goujon (?-before 1568)
Nymph and Little Genie Mounted on a Sea Horse, 1547
Limestone - 74 x 185 cm
Paris, Musée du Louvre
Photo: Didier Rykner

See the image in its page

2. Jean Goujon (?-before 1568)
Nymph, 1547
Limestone
Pending long-term loan to the Louvre
Photo: Didier Rykner

See the image in its page

In response to the first question, to which the scientific committee had replied favourably but which was still the subject of debate at Paris City Hall, Karen Taieb, the elected official in charge of heritage, had finally confirmed to us that this long-term loaned had been agreed (see the news item of 27/2/24). The exhibition, which shows the deterioration of Jean Goujon’s nymphs compared with the reliefs in the Louvre, is sufficiently revealing (ill. 2). Although the works are still legible and their quality can still be seen, they have undoubtedly suffered from exposure to the elements. To quote the catalogue essay on the restoration of the reliefs: ‘the areas of erosion have spread and become particularly pronounced [since the mid-nineteenth century] on the most prominent parts; many details have disappeared [...]. The folds, so characteristic of Goujon’s art, are worn and the play of light and shadow has changed. This confirms the general wear and tear [...]. Leaving the reliefs of Jean Goujon’s nymphs in place therefore condemns them, in the short term, to increasingly pronounced erosion and a loss of legibility".

Although Goujon’s Nymphs will not deteriorate any further, there is still cause for concern…